I'm just curious...it's been a while since Dave has posted anything, nothing's been revealed for a couple of weeks. Just a few new apps, could this be the beginning of something big being released soon? Do you think that's why we haven't heard anything? Or do you think it's just a coincidence that MS hasn't said anything?

You can check his tweets - he's had basically 2 days flying US-Aust return, 3 or 4 days business in Australia - apparently his business contacts are all Australian animals - and a couple of days at home. Looks like he'll be back in US tomorrow....

I'm just curious...it's been a while since Dave has posted anything, nothing's been revealed for a couple of weeks. Just a few new apps, could this be the beginning of something big being released soon? Do you think that's why we haven't heard anything? Or do you think it's just a coincidence that MS hasn't said anything?

They just announced Kin, they've been talking up WP7, they're bringing Zune to more devices, Windows 7 (PC) has been out for less than 9 months, Office 10 has been releasd to enterprise users with the consumer version coming in June, while Office 11 for MAC has been announced for late 2010. Really, I think they've gotten all of their announcements out of the way for this part of the year.

Things I would expect in the "near" future;
-Zune HD follow-up (ZuneHD2, or WP7-based PMP), likely won't be unveiled until at least July to avoid canabalizing existing sales
-Kin on other carriers, but that won't liekly be announced until at least Septemeber, if at all (if Kin flops, no other carrier will go for it)
-More talk about how "effective" Windows 7 is for tablet computing, to help stave off Ipad sales (whether this translates into an actual product release is anyone's guess)
-2-3 more apps for ZuneHD by September (sorry, just had to throw that in )

They just announced Kin, they've been talking up WP7, they're bringing Zune to more devices, Windows 7 (PC) has been out for less than 9 months, Office 10 has been releasd to enterprise users with the consumer version coming in June, while Office 11 for MAC has been announced for late 2010. Really, I think they've gotten all of their announcements out of the way for this part of the year.

Things I would expect in the "near" future;
-Zune HD follow-up (ZuneHD2, or WP7-based PMP), likely won't be unveiled until at least July to avoid canabalizing existing sales
-Kin on other carriers, but that won't liekly be announced until at least Septemeber, if at all (if Kin flops, no other carrier will go for it)
-More talk about how "effective" Windows 7 is for tablet computing, to help stave off Ipad sales (whether this translates into an actual product release is anyone's guess)
-2-3 more apps for ZuneHD by September (sorry, just had to throw that in )

Yes, I know what's going on at Microsoft in general (non-Zune related), I just haven't heard any new news about the ZuneHD for a while, except for the Kin phone, which means nothing to me, since I don't have the money to pay for a phone.

So both Engadget and Gizmodo says that Kin might merge with WP7 making Kin able to download WP7 apps...

I think they got it wrong, maybe its Kin and ZuneHD will merge and Microsoft will release apps supporting both Kin and ZuneHD... But if I am wrong and Kin really does merge with WP7 then will the ZuneHD be included?

So both Engadget and Gizmodo says that Kin might merge with WP7 making Kin able to download WP7 apps...

I think they got it wrong, maybe its Kin and ZuneHD will merge and Microsoft will release apps supporting both Kin and ZuneHD... But if I am wrong and Kin really does merge with WP7 then will the ZuneHD be included?

I'm pretty sure that Microsoft has marketed Kin as their first phones in the new phone line.

So both Engadget and Gizmodo says that Kin might merge with WP7 making Kin able to download WP7 apps...

I think they got it wrong, maybe its Kin and ZuneHD will merge and Microsoft will release apps supporting both Kin and ZuneHD... But if I am wrong and Kin really does merge with WP7 then will the ZuneHD be included?

They are actually quoting a project manager from Microsoft. I am thinking the same thing. I think there was a reason they used the older ATX2600 in the KIN phones, if they've already made a version of WP7 hardware compatible with it, why duplicate the effort. He definitely said they were going to merge KIN and WP7 platforms.

The current KIN platform is Zune. Hardware and software wise, it is a ZuneHD with a 3G radio, external speaker, and GPS.

I've thought all along that they were just waiting for WP7 to release (which was supposed to be shortly after ZuneHD) so they could merge the platforms and provide a unified experience across all devices. This is still possible. Maybe we see the Zune team get absorbed into the WinMo team.

Sorry for being absent guys - just checking in here from Dublin, Ireland.

I got back from ash-delayed Europe and had a week in Seattle before traveling to Australia for a week on a mix of business and pleasure (spent the weekend catching up with mum and dad in Adelaide). I then flew to the US, met my wife in SFO and flew on to Europe for a short week of meetings here. I just wrapped up meetings in Ireland today, have one more in London en route back, and will be in Seattle next week.

Sorry for being absent guys - just checking in here from Dublin, Ireland.

I got back from ash-delayed Europe and had a week in Seattle before traveling to Australia for a week on a mix of business and pleasure (spent the weekend catching up with mum and dad in Adelaide). I then flew to the US, met my wife in SFO and flew on to Europe for a short week of meetings here. I just wrapped up meetings in Ireland today, have one more in London en route back, and will be in Seattle next week.

Sorry for being absent guys - just checking in here from Dublin, Ireland.

I got back from ash-delayed Europe and had a week in Seattle before traveling to Australia for a week on a mix of business and pleasure (spent the weekend catching up with mum and dad in Adelaide). I then flew to the US, met my wife in SFO and flew on to Europe for a short week of meetings here. I just wrapped up meetings in Ireland today, have one more in London en route back, and will be in Seattle next week.

Sorry for being a little out of touch.

Cheers, Dave.

Welcome back! That sure is a lot of travels! Good luck with your meeting and have a safe flight home!

Err... the ash cloud is drifting towards the UK again; there are warnings and stuff, there might be flight problems or delays. Plus the BA strike. Just a heads up. Hope it goes smoothly for you though!

The Zune HD 2 is an absolutely ridiculous idea considering MS obviously wants to have a wide spectrum of devices covering alot of the areas in the portable area. Zund HD is their media device(their ipod touch), WP7 is their phone and media device for those who want an all in one package(their iphone), then this so-called Zune HD 2 with a better tegra chip in it that could render much better graphics, you know what makes the most sense? This may very well be MS's entrance into the portable gaming market; it makes the most sense and would be a genius business decision.

The Zune HD 2 is an absolutely ridiculous idea considering MS obviously wants to have a wide spectrum of devices covering alot of the areas in the portable area. Zund HD is their media device(their ipod touch), WP7 is their phone and media device for those who want an all in one package(their iphone), then this so-called Zune HD 2 with a better tegra chip in it that could render much better graphics, you know what makes the most sense? This may very well be MS's entrance into the portable gaming market; it makes the most sense and would be a genius business decision.

What do you guys think?

Um, isn't the iPod touch advertised as a portable gaming machine sometimes too? And haven't they already done a few games on the Zune HD? I think the current Z:HD still has plenty of capabilities they have not yet used, so the idea of moving on to a 2nd gen. is kind of silly..... why not just finish the 1st gen?